Taking place after the events of Avengers Endgame, WandaVision follows Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), who appear to be living the ideal suburban life in the town of Westview, trying to conceal their powers. (This despite the fact that Vision was killed by Thanos in Infinity War.) But as they enter new decades, encounter television tropes and strange occurrences, things are not what they seem.
This marks the first Marvel Disney Plus show, as well as the kick off for Phase 4 of the MCU, which was initially supposed to be Black Widow but had to be pushed back due to the pandemic. When the first trailers dropped I think we could all agree this looked to be an absolutely bonkers series with a unique, mind bending premise and very big mystery, setting the stage for next big events in the MCU after the conclusion of the Infinity Saga.
So the question is, did WandaVision live up to the task? Yes. Yes it did.
This is a strange yet fascinating series that has heart, smart writing, incredible acting, great humor, unnerving mystery, brilliant suspense, powerful emotion, and is amazing in every way possible. This show seriously surprised me, it was directed, acted and written exceptionally well, with so many clever details.
We all know Elizabeth Olsen is a great actress and has done good work as Wanda in the films, but I feel that she was way better in this, and really got the chance to flesh out the character and show her full talent. While she is playing the same character throughout, she changes as the eras change, and like a chameleon she adapted to every style. She had a lot of faces to play, while also playing the character we already know, and it’s honestly incredible how she does it. And as things get stranger and more twisted as the series goes on, the emotional impact Olsen delivers as Wanda is incredible and very hard hitting. Her range felt unrestricted, and the way she was able to transition from one moment to the next (sometimes instantly in one scene) really shows just how damn talented she can be.
I also love how well the themes of grief, loss and even mental health were handled, in such massive ways that I honestly didn’t expect. The MCU has tackled serious subjects before, but I feel in a series instead of a film they were able to go way more in depth. It really shows just how much Wanda has gone through in her life over the course of the MCU films.
Paul Bettany’s return as Vision was brilliant and very unexpected. Similar to Olsen, he was a chameleon in the various eras in terms of acting and incredible range, but I also found him to be god damn hilarious. I didn’t think Paul Bettany could be so funny but he really surprised me here with his comedic talent. He also has an interesting development as he slowly begins to realize things are not right with this reality, especially with how he seems to have some sort of effect on other characters, as does Wanda. Seeing him being fleshed out in such a way, and Paul Bettany showing an incredible range, is something that wasn’t done in the films. It was really great to see, and again one of the many benefits of this series. He had some truly amazing and emotional moments throughout the show, especially one particular scene that was ripped straight from one of the most emotional panels of comic book history, and he absolutely nailed it.
Both he and Elizabeth Olsen really got to shine in this show, which was something we never really got to see in the films, apart from a few small scenes of them together. Both of them were fantastic and both were very solid leads that you absolutely loved, even as things get emotional, crazy, and weird. I feel anyone who may have not seen them as a good couple in the films will definitely see it after watching this series.
The supporting cast was also great, especially with stand outs like Kathryn Hahn as Agnes and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. Kathryn Hahn is absolutely hilarious as the nosey neighbor trope of the sitcom reality, playing it perfectly, probably due to her experience in sitcoms. However, you can tell that something is certainly off about her as the series progresses, and the way she shows it is incredibly well done and adds so much tension and mystery to the point where it leads to a seriously good twist. Oh yeah, and her revealed theme song is an absolute banger.
Monica was first introduced to us in Captain Marvel, but here she is much older and is taking the first steps into becoming a new major character in the MCU. Teyonah is great in the sitcom reality, but she is fantastic in the real world as her true self. This series was her beginning, but I feel when we see her again in future projects like Captain Marvel 2, which will be written by one of the creators of this series, she’s going to have a big role, and I can’t wait to see it. She’s an excellently written character that has endured quite a lot, and will probably be the start of a new generation of heroes.
We also have two returns from previous films: Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) from Antman & the Wasp and Darcy (Kat Dennings) from the Thor films. Woo was honestly great to see, going from a simple FBI agent to being almost like a cool X-files character. He was a surprisingly intriguing character who gave off great charm, and felt like someone I’d love to see more of in other MCU projects.
However, he wasn’t as surprising as Darcy, who I wasn’t looking forward to seeing at first, and I am pretty sure I wasn’t the only one. And yet despite my concerns Darcy was actually awesome in this, which proves once again that the problem with the first two Thor films was never the actors but the writing and direction. She was written so well in this series and Kat Dennings delivered a solid performance, taking me completely by surprise. I’m kinda glad that the heads of the show decided to go back and redeem one of the weakest characters in the MCU because it makes me hopeful that other returning faces of the MCU in future projects might end up getting great second chances like this.
The sitcom reality setting that goes through all the various eras of television (50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s) is perhaps one of the most genius and amazingly crafted aspects of the show. Everything from the looks to the picture quality to the editing to the dialogue to the humor to the music and even the laugh tracks are perfect. It was perfect in design and execution, which makes it really stand out from other MCU entries.
The main narrative that is interwoven with the sitcom setting is interesting but also very unsettling, as it all builds up some shocking revelations, some of which involve great danger to all of the characters, as well as keeping you guessing about what is really happening. There are a lot of mind-bending surprises in this series, as well as very surprising faces that appear who add so much to the series and set the stage for some serious impacts on the future of the MCU.
There were of course references to previous films and characters littered throughout the show, but the way they were executed was different compared to the MCU films. Some of them are played off as jokes in hilarious sitcom commercials, while others end up having a major impact on the story and hint towards the mystery going on, especially when some are connected to Wanda’s past in the other films.
The real world stuff was also investing, as well as very exhilarating. We get answers to some questions we’ve had, even as it continues to add on to the growing mystery, which adds such great tension towards the ultimate revelations. Eventually, though, we end up getting all our answers, and there aren’t any major loose ends. All the build up leads to great payoffs, and I found myself to be very satisfied with what we got. Some things are left open for future MCU installments to answer, which I’m totally fine with, considering that is something this well-crafted cinematic universe has always done. So if there is something that you really wished to see but it doesn’t get addressed in this series, don’t worry, because chances are it is likely to be addressed in the future no matter how long it takes.
The production design for this series is absolutely stellar, as also shown in the cinematography, visuals and effects used that were all similar to the awesome movie-level visuals of The Mandalorian. You can tell that a serious amount effort was being made for this series, which is very promising for future MCU shows. The music was also seriously well done, especially the original theme songs made for the sitcom segments, which were so damn catchy. They felt as if they were a part of the eras they were made for, as does everything else. A great score and very catchy tunes that brought so much life to the show, along with everything else.
All of it leads to an action packed finale that was extremely satisfying, tying together everything the series built up to, as well as hitting us with truly heartbreaking scenes that will definitely have you using up a lot of tissues. Everything felt so neatly resolved, while still setting up some bread crumbs for things to happen in the future. It’s no secret that things presented in this series are meant to tie directly into the Doctor Strange sequel, as well as other films, and I couldn’t be more excited for all of it.
This is by far one of the most unique, detailed, and amazingly crafted installments in the entire MCU. There is so much to keep you engaged all the way through, and it doesn’t drag or get boring even once. So much effort and detail was put in that I can definitely see people rewatching the series from the beginning to find all its secrets and clues leading up to the major revelations, as well as the hints towards the future. It really packed a huge emotional punch that I don’t think anyone was expecting, and has caught the world by storm. I can see a very bright future for the MCU ahead. I’m going to give WandaVision an A+.
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